Alaa Saadeh: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

isis, islamic state, maan city, jordan, terrorism

The ISIS flag (YouTube screengrab)

A 23-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to the ISIS terror group, the Justice Department announced Monday.

Alaa Saadeh, of West New York, New Jersey, was also charged with witness tampering, prosecutors said. His brother and a friend were named as co-conspirators.

Saadeh was a store supervisor at Staples in Fort Lee, New Jersey, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. He Planned to Travel Overseas to Join the Fight, Prosecutors Say

According to court documents, Saadeh planned to travel to the Middle East to join ISIS. The FBI recorded conversations with an informant where Saadeh revealed his support for ISIS, “including its use of beheadings and mass killings to impose its violent agenda,” according to a press release from the Justice Department.

Saadeh told the informant he and another unnamed co-conspirator planned to travel overseas “at some point.”

Read the indictment below:


2. A Roommate Told the FBI About His Suspicions of Saadeh & His Brother

The FBI began investigating Saadeh, his brother and two other co-conspirators after a former roommate told agents that he was suspicious of Saadeh’s brother’s behavior and believed he had become radicalized, court documents show.


3. Saadeh’s Brother Left the United States & Was Arrested in Jordan

Saadeh’s brother, who is not named in the indictment, was arrested in Jordan, his native country, on suspicion of supporting ISIS, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey said in a press release.

Saadeh told an informant he knew his brother planned to join ISIS and that he bought a plane ticket for his brother despite that knowledge, prosecutors said.


4. He Is Accused of Telling a Witness Not to Talk to the FBI About His Brother’s Support for ISIS

According to prosecutors, Saadeh learned he was under FBI surveillance and told a witness in New Jersey not to tell the FBI about his brother’s support for ISIS and about his brother’s plans to travel to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS. He told the other man to “play dumb” and “be honest up to a point,” but not tell the agents anything about ISIS, according to court documents.


5. He Allegedly Threatened to ‘Kill Someone’ for Snitching on His Brother

The FBI says Saadeh told another person that he suspected one of his co-conspirators had “snitched” on his brother, causing him to be arrested in Jordan. He said he would have to “kill someone,” if that was true.